OLD, UNHAPPY DAYS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 2, 12 January 1942, Page 5

OLD, UNHAPPY DAYS

"THE CONFISCATION LINE" ECHO OF MAORI WAR OF 'SIXTIES "For old, unliappj\ far-off things And battles long ago." So wrote the poet Wordsworth when he heard a Highland lass singing a plaintive song in Gaelic as she reaped the grain. These words seem appropriate when one reads in such a staid and unpoetical announcement as a public notice inserted by the County of Whakatane in the BEACON 1 these words:— "Across the Rewarua Road within three chains of where the confiscation line crosses such road." Now what was (or is) "the confiscaton line?" No doubt most readers of the BEACON are a bit hazy • about the history of the Maori wars in the 18G0's, so a little digression rbn this point may be instructive. A War Indemnity Perhaps it will come as a shock to the consciences of good Pakehas of the present generation to. be reminded that following the defeat of the Maoris in arms during the <Jo's the New Zealand Government decided to "confiscate" a huge area of land which had been the ancestral domains of these so-called "rebel" -tribes. This was duly carried out with the support of garrisons of troops, and now after 75 years it is forgotten, except by Pakeha historians and those Maoris who also know lii story.

Permanent Military Posts In the Waikato Valley the Gov•eminent formed the military settlements of Hamilton, Cambridge, Te Awamutu and Pirongia (then called Alexandra) by settling five companies of Waikato militia on the frontiers of the "confiscated" land. In the Bay of Plenty a less drastic jpolicy seems to have been followed. No military settlements were formed but when the regiments and the • militia were disbanded the men 'were encouraged to settle near the scene of their operations, and many did so. The result was that considerable intermarriage with the natives took place and many of our .present Whakatane families can : lrace their names to these unions. 'Thus many of the old grievances were covered and forgotten as the ties of blood cemented the closer relationship between Pakeha and .Maori. 150,000 Acres Declared Forfeit The actual confiscation line, embraces an area of approximately "150,000 acres and runs from the 'Ohiwa. harbour back to the timbered Urewera mountains. .From thence racross to the crest of Mount Ejdge•cumbe in a rough *20 mile coastal -strip to the Tarawera River which it then follows to the sea. It includes the whole of the 80,000 acres of the rich Rangitaiki Plains, and the towns of Whakatane, Taneatua, 'Edgecumbe and Te Teko. The history of the action of confiscation is rather a painful one for Maoris and Pakehas alike, the former smarting under the resentment -of an obvious wrong and. the latter in the knowledge that the •drastic, action was imposed before they were born and in circumstances completely beyond their control.

A War-time Murder During the course of the Maori -war, when the Taranaki Tribes were -particularly turbulent, two of the western warriors made their way to the Bay of Plenty, and by their •arguments gained one or two adherents from the hitherto peaceful Whakatane tribes. The group planned and -perpetrated the murder of a Captain Falloon, master of a trading brig, whose ship was at anchor offshore. The war party set out in their OAvn canoe and after boarding the little" craft quickly dispatched the unsuspecting captain. The military authorities were quickly on the track, and the cul-> prits made off to Te Teko, where they sought the shelter and the hospitality of the local tribesmen. This was granted and the approaching military were met by a refusal to give the men up. Murderers Captured) After negotiations extending over a day or two the guilty natives were surrendered, the terms agreed upon being that they alone should be punished and not the local tribesmen. However, the Government ol the day, already in the throes of a serious struggle with the Taranaki tribes and desiring to prevent the spread of the rebellion, decided to. 'teach the Bay of Plenty natives a

stern and sharp lesson. Not only were the culprits - hung, but several of their local companions also. An enquiry resulted in all who had befriended them in any way, being arraigned before the court of justice, and sentenced to terms varying from life imprisonment to a few months. Thus were all possible germs of alleged revolt stamped out. Decision to Confiscate But the Government also decided that a further penalty, by Avhich the whole of the Matatua tribes should feel punishment should be inflicted. Thus was born the idea of confiscation—a policy which had been considered most effective in other parts of the Colony. The line was defined and the proclamation issued by which hundreds of innocent and unoffending natives were dispossessed. A great outcry followed, particularly from those Maoris who were in friendly alliance $vith the Government, and had actually fought on the side of the Pakehas: in the Avar. Keen Maori Resfentmene So great was the feeling of bitterness that it was decided to reinstate small pockets of ancestral land to those considered worthy of consideration. So small sections in the town of Whakatane were returned, and the foreshore (now housing tho Pa) was declared 'fishing reserve' and handed back to the remnants of the original tribal holders. Thus the ancestral Pa site caine back once more into the hands of the descendants of the navigators of the Matatua canoe. But there were many bitter hearts, particularly among the older Maoris, who had grown to> regard the Rangitaiki lands as their own rightful heritage, and the unjustness of the confiscation rankled for many many years. Long Period of Agitation Matatua has long smarted under the impost of a war-time Colonial Government. Almost ever since it has, through its tribal councils, and its Parliamentary representatives sought restoration, and finally as this became impossible with the settlement of the plains, compensation. For years their efforts went unrewarded, but headway was made with the Coates-Forbes Government, and after a drawn-out period of negotiation, the then Hon. J. G. Coates, promised recognition at the suggested rate of £3000 per annum, in tune with the recent compensation moneys granted the Taranalci Maoris for similar seizAires. But before documentary details of the agreement could be completed, the Coates-Forbes Government went out of office and Labour took its place.

Persistant Overtures Made Fresh evidence, and new addresses and agitation were the lot of the tribesmen, and to-day the petition for compensation is still before the Government. Possibly it is regarded as not being of sufficient import to be dealt with during the greater responsibilities imposed by the war. tit is interesting to note that in response to similar agitation by the Opotiki tribes for a minor seizure a sum was offered by the Government, but was rejected by the petitioners as being too sma 11. Whakatane however has had no recognition at all. which is probably on account of the major nature of the confiscation made. However we are assured that the tribe will continue to press for what they term their rights and as fair-minded Pakehas, who. can deny that these actually exist. Not a Pleasant Memory The title 'confiscation line' is not a happy one. It is a reminder of the hard old days, when Pakeha and Maori did not enjoy the same tics of friendship and understanding fhey do to-day. The deprivation of 150000 acres of rich land, by which the Government profited substantially, is definitely a penalty belonging to less enlightened years, and we trust that compensation will be made by which means the old name could be given decent interrment, and lost forever in the official archives of the district.